In most cases, architecture is not perceived as a uniform model of a single cast without any connections. On the contrary, the architect deals with the arrangement and organization of collections and several parts that differ not only in their totality but also in their multiplicity. Even if some architects endeavor to design contiguous monolithic forms, this initial thought is already divided into several parts with different challenges, be it in the organization, production, process, etc. The arrangement and the joining together into a comprehensive whole define an abstract model that has to be understood on different scales.
It is not about to prefer complicated formulations rather than simple phrases. Because not every combination automatically creates more meaning. Basic parts do not exclude complex arrangements. Similar but nonetheless specific elements coupled with the process of joining brings clarity to the expression. The building, as the word itself already implies, describes the process of constructing. The value of the structure is not only in the finished built result, but it is much more about the act of developing it.
This understanding of arrangement, as the word “arranging” already implies, describes a process and is not just the accumulation of various elements. It is the sequencing of units and the dealing of multiplicities within an emergent organization, which underlines the Aristotle theorem that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. The periodic arrangement of atoms in crystals shows that the increased sum of the parts is no longer valid for the crystal.